1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to closures for doorways or other similar access openings and more specifically to side coiling doors in which the closure panel forming the door is a flexible, fabric like material that is wrapped onto or coiled onto and unwrapped from or uncoiled from a vertically disposed, rotatably supported, relatively short barrel with only the upper edge portion of the door being engaged by and supported by the barrel. The upper tracking edge of the flexible material forming the door is maintained in alignment on the barrel by the use of a unique spring tensioning assembly engaged with the barrel and an interlocking tracking means between the barrel and convolutions of the flexible material. The upper edge of the flexible material forming the door is supported, guided and moved along the upper edge of the opening by a tracking system that is associated with the door opening and vertical barrel to enable effective opening and closing movement of the side coiling doors. The lower edge of the flexible material forming the door is guided by a recessed track having an upwardly facing slot receiving the hemmed lower edge of the flexible material that is provided with a flexible rope or cable received in the hem along the bottom edge of the flexible door or curtain with rollers or wheels at the leading bottom corner of the flexible curtain or door which prevents the curtain from blowing outwardly or otherwise being forced out of the opening when in closed position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In various commercial and industrial facilities, it is frequently desirable or necessary to close an opening through a wall to separate and protect one area from environmental conditions that may exist in an adjacent area. The openings are necessary for the purpose of allowing movement of traffic, either vehicular or pedestrian to pass through the opening when moving from one area to another. If the opening is in an interior wall or, in some instances, if the opening is in an exterior wall or opening, it is not necessary to utilize a security type door. One problem which exists with vehicular traffic is the occasional striking of the closure door by the vehicle due to vehicle operator error and other causes.
Various efforts have been made to provide closure doors for such openings by providing overhead doors which roll up or down vertically and side coiling doors that open horizontally. Prior art doors usually include some type of guide structure or track structure for guiding and supporting the flexible doors as they move between open and closed positions. Any structure that is oriented along the vertical side edges of the door opening is subject to contact and possible damage by vehicular traffic. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are exemplary of the developments in this field of endeavor.
2,934,139 PA0 3,386,489 PA0 3,680,622 PA0 4,096,902 PA0 4,874,026 PA0 5,131,450 PA0 5,163,495
While the prior art discloses side coiling doors wrapped on a vertical barrel placed along one or both sides of an opening, such barrel or barrels are of a length substantially equal to the height of the opening. With this type of structure, the barrels are subject to damage due to vehicular impact. The present invention provides a structure that enables the flexible door member to be moved between open and closed positions with only the upper edge portion thereof supported by a vertical barrel thereby eliminating damage which occurs to previously used vertically elongated barrels by impact from vehicles with any impacts to the flexible closure member below the relatively short vertical barrel used in the present invention resulting in little or no damage to the door.